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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. chair — a leader
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — to come down
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. file — a line of people
  9. court — for sport
  10. wake — a trail
  11. file — a tool
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — ground
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com